In the use of reinforced concrete piles for supporting buildings, it is common practice to drive the piles and then to cutoff the amount of pile projecting above the desired finished level. This removal of the undesired pile portion involves cutting the pile at a cutoff level and then removing the concrete down to the finished level, exposing length of the reinforcement for incorporation into a subsequently poured concrete structure.
Conventionally, piles are cutoff using explosives. The concrete is removed to the finished level using a jackhammer. This procedure is time consuming and costly. In most cases, it is necessary to obtain a permit for the necessary blasting. In addition, the shock waves caused by the blasting can damage the pile. While mechanical cutters have been proposed for cutting off piles, these have not proven entirely satisfactory because they are difficult to use, especially where access to piles is restricted. They do not address the problem of removing concrete from the reinforcement down to the finished level.